Summers in the real estate business used to be more smelly than they are in the current market. Sellers and their agents have gotten more diligent about getting summer smells out of the house before putting it on the market. Well, most of the time. But not always.

Houses collect and hold odor in the heat of the summer (and in the dead of the winter). Houses smell from collected damp odors. Even a little bit of water under the sink can grow mold or mildew that will smell.

Occupied houses can smell of garbage, laundry, smoke, and other odors of daily living. Most summers, in the cities and college towns, rental property is shown while the tenants are still there, in hopes of renting or selling before the end of the lease. This leads to lots of smelly showings.

Removing smells is good for you and your house

Since 2020, most of us spend more time at home, generally. Some people bought air filters during 2020. Many people have added air conditioning in recent years (which also acts as an air filter).

Here are the easiest things to keep up on this summer:

Ventilate: Refresh the air in the house at least once a week. Open as many windows as possible and blow fresh air in. This is especially important for houses that are air conditioned and first floor rooms, where you can’t leave the windows all the way open. It is most comfortable if you do this during the cooler part of the day – mornings or after sunset.

Remove the holders of smells:

  • Fabric. That’s laundry. Oh.My,God! I cannot tell you how often I showed houses in the summer that smelled like sweat socks. Don’t let laundry linger in the summer. At least once in the summer, pay attention to couches, curtains, floor mats, dog and cat beds, too.
  • Damp/wet areas.
    • Check behind the faucets, under the sinks, under the dish drainer. Mold and mildew like little puddles.
    • Basements with closed windows and no dehumidifier are a problem; either open the windows or use a dehumidifier – not both.
    • The concrete floor of an unfinished basement is porous; some moisture transfers through it from the wet soil under your house.
    • In finished basements, wood and cloth are porous and hold the dampness and invite the mold and mildew.
  • Food waste. Garbage pails need to be hosed out, not just emptied, in the summer.
  • Body waste. Cat boxes and any other pet place where their waste collects need to be cleaned with disinfectant and water. Then there’s your toilets; you can simply put some disinfectant in the water when you go to sleep and let it do the job overnight.

Indoor air pollution

We have things in our house that emit gases. Not just our gas stove, but our bookshelves (made of pressboard), paint, perfumes, and other manufactured items.

These chemicals collect in poorly ventilated spaces. Some people are sensitive to them, and get allergy symptoms like headache and fatigue.

Ventilation helps. So does air filtration.  Both of those actions will contribute to control of transmission of Covid-19 and other viruses among the people in your household.

Outdoor air pollution, indoors

The recent waves of smoke pollution from wildfires has made the rest of the country understand what the West has been dealing with for decades. Smoke blows! You can keep an eye on smoke and ozone air pollution at AirNow.gov

When the smoke pollution is upon us, keep your windows closed, as recommended. If you don’t use air conditioning and it is hot, set fans to blow outward not inward.